HRT observations

[RobynTx]

I'm surprised at the number of times I've almost burst out crying.  Usually just for simple things.  Whereas before I was like, eh, whatever. 

[Laurie]

Lawry [emoji6],  you and so many others have shared so much here, that I feel totally comfortable with where I am.
I'm so glad to finally feel some emotion,  I felt like a stone with T in my system,  never again!

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  Megan, you should be comfortable with where you are. It's a great place to be! And if you find yourself slipping off that pinnacle you know we are here to help lift you back up. Just enjoy the journey where you can Megan, it not always fun but there is a lot of it that is good.  lol just listen to me trying to sound so wise. I'm newer that you are in some respects and you are newer than I am in others. Lets just enjoy the ride together.

Hugs,
   Laurie

[Megan.]

Quick update: definite slow down and lightening of chest and arm hair. I was away for a few days and unable to keep myself as smooth as I'd like, but the damage was far less than it would have been pre-hrt.

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[Megan.]

Quick update: It's been 2 months on HRT,  summary of changes so far:
-skin &  hair alot less oily/greasy
-skin softer
-slower body hair growth, and some lightening
-almost total loss of libido/sex drive or desire
-shrinkage of testicles
-no more 'morning glory'
-change in orgasm,  now more 'diffuse',  but longer.
-mental mood has been very positive,  typically the happiest person in the room.

So far I have been very happy with all these changes,  especially loosing my libido which I've always hated.

I've not yet observed any breast budding,  but I'm still on quite a low E dose which will get doubled in another 4 weeks.

Megan. X

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[RobynTx]

Congrats on the changes.  It is nice to notice them and wonder how long that's been that way.  My breast buds started hurting last week and I have noticed a minute change in size.  Basically anything that touches them is very painful.  I wasn't expecting this so early.  I'm on low dose HRT as well but my T was 1 something before I even started.

Keep the updates coming.  I love hearing from other girls.

[Megan.]

Congrats on the changes.  It is nice to notice them and wonder how long that's been that way.  My breast buds started hurting last week and I have noticed a minute change in size.  Basically anything that touches them is very painful.  I wasn't expecting this so early.  I'm on low dose HRT as well but my T was 1 something before I even started.

Keep the updates coming.  I love hearing from other girls.

It's odd,  but until I listed them all down,  I didn't think there had been many! X

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[Chrissym]

Congrats on the changes!. I am at about 2 months myself and noticing similar changes. My breast buds are still very tender but not quite as much as they were a week or so ago. I have noticed my skin is a lot dryer though and any acne i had is completely gone.

Will be very interesting to see what else comes along over the xoming months!!

[JennaFae]

Wow, all you lovely ladies are really inspiring to me!  I've been on HRT for 39 days now and have had some of the changes you have reported (softer, drier skin, loss of libido, easier for me to have ocular leakage [haha], slight fat redistribution, lost 4 lbs, slower hair regrowth and lightening).  Due to the aweful side effects that androcur has had on me, the mental side has been almost torture for me.  Now that I've stopped the cypro (4 days now), today is the first day that I've felt positive and actually quite amazing since I started the process.  I hope that this is the beginning of the awesome mental changes for me that most of you are experiencing   Will stay on the E only for now until my endo can start me on something else (prolly spiro), but wow, feels great to feel good for a change!  Keep up the awesome conversations ladies, it fills me with hope and helps me to see that I too am changing for the better into the person that I should have been born as.  Love,

Jenna xx

P.S.  meganjames2 thanks for the regular updates of your changes/feelings, truly inspiring!!!

[Deborah]

Here is a longer term observation.  After more than two years I am finally getting some hips.  I had to assist the HRT by going back to lifting weights (squats and deadlifts) to start making some decent progress though.

[Chrissym]

Hi Deborah. I had heard exercise can help with the hips. What exercises are you doing and how noticable is the effect? I also not you have been on HRT for over 2 years and your profile pic looks amazing. What has been your experience with HRT?

[Deborah]

Hi Deborah. I had heard exercise can help with the hips. What exercises are you doing and how noticable is the effect? I also not you have been on HRT for over 2 years and your profile pic looks amazing. What has been your experience with HRT?

I'm basically doing barbell squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and rows.  My real focus is the squats and deadlifts with the others just to keep from falling apart.

The squats I do three times a week with a mix of heavy low reps and slightly lighter higher reps.  The deadlifts I do once a week as heavy as I can without my head exploding.

It's interesting that while my upper body strength has significantly declined my lower body strength has not.  It's also interesting to me that it's still improving with zero testosterone.  For the upper body a 115 lb bench press feels heavy now, LOL.  For the lower body I'm up to 230 lb squats and 295 lb deadlifts.

[I don't feel I am betraying my transness by working out like this.  It makes me feel really good and besides, there was a CIS girl at my work I knew that was a lot shorter and lighter than me and she was deadlifting 305 lbs.  She competed nationally in Olympic weightlifting though.]

I also run four to six times a week, do core exercises three times a week, and walk every day.  I monitor my diet, eat generally lower carb, and fast 16+ hours every day. 

I only restarted the weights in June and so far have added nearly an inch to my hips.  The upper body has gotten somewhat more defined but not really any bigger as I'm keeping the reps low.

I initially started because I lost a lot of weight and my hips got really skinny.  I found that trying to add fat to them by eating more had the unfortunate side effect of making my stomach bigger than I wanted it.

HRT has been great for me, especially by fixing my mind which was spiraling down into a black hole.  The physical changes make me feel better too.  They come slow but steady so patience is the key.


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[Chrissym]

Thanks Debroah,

That's really interesting to hear! Ive only been on HRT about 2 months but ive been without testosterone for about 18 months so my muscle mass amd upper body strength is basically zero lol. I initially stacked it on post op but since then ive made an effort to lose it all but the side effect is i am basically skinny and straight so the idea that i might be able to change that through getting back to the gym is really inspiring!!

Thanks for the sharing your experience!

[Megan.]

Quick update: so I woke this morning,  and after around 2 months on HRT my breasts were a bit tender. Having just got back from a run,  a couple of sports bras are now on my shopping list,  as it wasn't too comfy!
Nothing visible yet,  but I've got the biggest happy grin [emoji16]

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[Chrissym]

Congrats!!! Keep us informed of your progress!! Its lovely to hear your journey and compare it to my own. We are all on tgis together.

[Megan.]

Tnx.  All the great posts on Susan's have really helped me understand and prepare for this part of my transition. I'm so very greatful the site exists and for all the wonderful people who share here.

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[Deborah]

Thanks Debroah,

That's really interesting to hear! Ive only been on HRT about 2 months but ive been without testosterone for about 18 months so my muscle mass amd upper body strength is basically zero lol. I initially stacked it on post op but since then ive made an effort to lose it all but the side effect is i am basically skinny and straight so the idea that i might be able to change that through getting back to the gym is really inspiring!!

Thanks for the sharing your experience!

I finally got a new picture sharing site so I thought to share a pic I took yesterday of my hips progress.   Unfortunately, my skinny jeans are no longer skinny and I really need to get a smaller size  .  There is no padding or constriction clothing here other than tightening my belt to where I wear it all the time.  I am counting on more as time goes on.

The heavy weights are really not having a huge bulking effect like many fear.  HRT prevents that so if someone has already depleted their muscle mass then muscle development on HRT should follow mostly as it would for any CIS woman.

[Megan.]

Quick update: It's been 10 weeks since my GNRH blocker jab,  next one is due in 2 weeks. I've noticed the last couple of days my skin is a little bit greasier and my libido is up very slightly, but thankfully without any real drive. Nipples still a little tender,  I've had to start wearing a sports bra when running for comfort!

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[Jessica]

 Nipples still a little tender,  I've had to start wearing a sports bra when running for comfort!

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[/quote]

I have experienced the same when I run.  Sport bra is a must.  My tits have been tender for a couple of weeks and now have about a 1/2" nodule behind each nipple.  I wonder how much I'll fill my bra by November when I race in a 10k in Las Vegas.
Smiles, Jessica 💁

[Jessica]

I finally got a new picture sharing site so I thought to share a pic I took yesterday of my hips progress.   Unfortunately, my skinny jeans are no longer skinny and I really need to get a smaller size  .  There is no padding or constriction clothing here other than tightening my belt to where I wear it all the time.  I am counting on more as time goes on.

The heavy weights are really not having a huge bulking effect like many fear.  HRT prevents that so if someone has already depleted their muscle mass then muscle development on HRT should follow mostly as it would for any CIS woman.

Deborah, you look beautiful and your hips are very feminine!
Just had tell you.  I'm hoping the same for me.
Smiles, Jessica

[Deborah]

Deborah, you look beautiful and your hips are very feminine!
Just had tell you.  I'm hoping the same for me.
Smiles, Jessica

Thank you! 

You just made my day.